New Zealand vs India 2020: It was a great all-round game for us, says Kane Williamson
It turned out to be an utterly dominating performance from New Zealand as they thrashed India by 10 wickets in the opening Test at the Basin Reserve in Wellington to take a 1-0 lead in the 2 match series. The resounding victory against a top-class Indian side also showed the character of the team who came into the series on the back of a 3-0 drubbing at the hands of Australia. However, New Zealand skipper Kane Williamson denied terming the victory as “bouncing back” from their horrendous tour of Australia.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Williamson said,
"Bouncing back isn't a term that we use within our group. You can get carried away thinking about results (especially) when you have a number of poor ones and sometimes the want (urge) for a good one can be a distraction towards getting (achieving) it," Williamson said after the first Test here on Monday.
The hosts dominated the game right from Day 1. The toss turned out to be a crucial factor as the New Zealand bowlers made full use of the helpful bowling conditions and skittled out India for 165. Debutant Kyle Jamieson had a day to remember as he bagged the wickets of Cheteshwar Pujaa and Virat Kohli to finish with a 4-wicket haul.
Williamson led from the front and scored a brilliant 89 before perishing against the run of play. Jamieson shone with the bat as well, sharing a match-defining partnership with Colin de Grandhomme. A late blitz from Trent Boult eventually propelled New Zealand to a sizeable lead of 183 runs. Having restricted India to 144/4 at the end of day 3, the experienced duo of Trent Boult and Tim Southee wreaked havoc on Day 4 morning and bundled out India for 191 runs.
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Williamson was impressed with New Zealand’s all-round performance and lauded the team for beating a strong Indian side.
"So it's about focusing on things that are important. The roles that give us the best chance of success and if we do that, the result manifests and I think that's what we saw in this game and that was what was pleasing," Williamson said.
"It was a really brilliant all-round game for us. Guys were really committed to their roles on a surface that offered enough to create a good balance between bat and ball. It's a really important lesson moving forward to Christchurch," he added.
The two teams will now head to Christchurch for the 2nd and the final Test slated to begin on 29th February.